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The Second Sunday of Lent is observed by the faithful all over the world on Sunday, March 5, 2023.
This special day in the faith calendar is a time to slow down and consider God’s blessings, a Washington-based pastor told Fox News Digital.
“Blessings are the evidence of the grace of God. His word is saturated with blessings,” said Pastor Jesse Bradley of Grace Community Church in Auburn, Washington.
FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT: THE TIME IS NOT JUST FOR PENANCE BUT FOR GOD’S ‘ABUNDANT’ MERCY, SAYS FAITH LEADER
In the Book of Genesis, “Abraham cultivated the habit of listening to God,” said Bradley.
“And this is what he heard: ‘I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse, and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you'” (Genesis 12:3).
Bradley continued, “The greatest blessings from God are often unexpected” — and he said Abraham is an “excellent illustration” of this point.
Some of God’s greatest blessings, including those that Abraham experienced, were completely unexpected, said Pastor Jesse Bradley. (boonchai wedmakawand via Getty Images)
“It is not typically considered a blessing to have to leave your people, your region and your comfort zone at age 75,” said Bradley.
“It’s not a common path to become a father as you complete a century of living, and your infant boy is teething as your number of years sits in triple digits,” he added.
“Everyone on Earth is made in God’s image and deeply loved.”
Abraham is proof that “God’s blessings are not always wrapped in simplicity, arriving in cushy callings or delivered in pristine packages with a ribbon around the box.”
The death of Jesus Christ on the cross is another example of how blessings are not always neat or even palatable, he noted.
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“Through his sinless blood that was shed, he accomplished the forgiveness of sins for anyone who is ready to receive the love of God,” said…
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